Remove Wisdom Teeth While They’re Still Young

Chandler & San Tan Valley AZ

If your child has braces, you’ve probably been encouraged by your orthodontist to schedule a wisdom teeth removal as soon as the braces are taken off. The last thing you want is for the wisdom teeth to come in and disrupt the perfectly straightened new set of teeth. The slightest possibility of many months and thousands of dollars on braces being all for nothing will cause anyone to jump into action.

But preventing crooked teeth is not the only benefit of having a wisdom teeth removal while you’re young. In fact, there are several crucial reasons you should prioritize having your child’s wisdom teeth extracted during their teens or early twenties.

What happens if I don’t get my wisdom teeth out?

Here’s what might happen to those who wait until they’re older to have their wisdom teeth removed:

Complicated Extractions

The longer you wait, the deeper your wisdom teeth’s roots grow, which makes the procedure to remove them all the more difficult. The ideal time for most extractions is between the ages of 16-20, before the roots are firmly established. At this time, the molars are easier to remove, your child is bound to have a faster recovery.

Gum Disease

The very back of your mouth where wisdom teeth are located is a breeding ground for bacteria. When food gets stuck in between the gums and wisdom teeth, decay caused by bacteria may be a problem, especially when it becomes an infection that leads to gum disease. Untreated gum disease can cause tooth loss. Removing wisdom teeth helps prevent infected gums and missing teeth.

Pain

It’s always best to take care of a dental issue before discomfort sets in. And due to the cozy nature of four more molars trying to squeeze in alongside 28 teeth, painful results may occur. Decay, infections, abscesses, and misalignment are all quite possible when too many teeth try to fit in one jaw. The sooner you have your child’s wisdom teeth removed, the less likely they will develop any dental problem that causes jaw nerve pain and swelling.

Poor mouth function

Impacted or abscessed wisdom teeth cause the jaw to swell. And opening and closing your mouth with a swollen jaw is no fun, and neither is talking and eating.

Cysts

When there’s a shortage of room in your mouth, wisdom teeth often fail to fully erupt (push through the gums), and when this happens, cysts have the potential to develop. Cysts tend to destroy the jawbone and the roots of your teeth.

Serious Health Concerns

Many people are unaware of the tight connection between your oral health and your body. When you get an infection in your gums, the infection and its toxins enter your blood stream, directly affecting your blood vessels and potentially spiking your blood pressure. High blood pressure, strokes, and heart attacks are all conditions that can result from untreated infections.

Wisdom Teeth Removal

When you have your wisdom teeth removed, you eliminate concern for all of the aforementioned problems. There are the rare times when patients choose to keep their wisdom teeth because they’ve come in nicely and have not yet caused any harm. If this applies to you, make sure to get regular cleanings so your dentist can keep an eye on them. Wisdom teeth are more susceptible to decay due to their location and can be a source of gum disease, spreading to the rest of your teeth.

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